TWiV was discussing this concept awhile back and mentioned the fact that if someone looked for poliovirus in NYC sewer samples that it would certainly turn up.

TWiV was discussing this concept awhile back and mentioned the fact that if someone looked for poliovirus in NYC sewer samples that it would certainly turn up. There's a sort of ethical problem here because if you find it you immediately make a big splash and headlines over something entirely expected and not terribly worrisome. They were leaning towards that you just shouldn't look for it -- it doesn't really add anything to science because virologists who study polio knew it'd be there and everyone else would freak out. Well, now we're there more or less.